Ignition device or system for gas and liquid fuel burners



Feb. 3, 1942.

C. S. STUCKENHOLT IGNITION DEVICE OR SYSTEM FOR GAS AND LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Filed March 15, 1941 Patented Feb. 3, 1942 IGNITION DEVICE OR SYSTEM FOR GAS AND LIQUID FUEL BURNERS Casper S. Stuckenholt, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The W. J. Schoenberger Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 13, 1941, Serial No. 383,222

Claims.

This invention relates to ignition devices or systems for gas and liquid fuel burners.

Heretofore it has been the practice to provide a pilot burner adjacent the main burner for lighting the latter. This pilot burner heats an operating element which in turn actuatesa gas valve controlling the main gas supply to the burner. This gas valve, preferably located adjacent the main burner, is in addition to the main shut off valve or gas cock.

One of the objects of this invention is to pro.- vide an electric ignition system in which the auxiliary gas valve now in use will be eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide an emoient electrically operated latch means for preventing actuation of the main shut off valve or gas cools to the position in which gas is supplied to the main burner, until after the pilot has been lighted, wherein an ignition circuit includ ing a heater coil and a bi-metallic switch in parallel with an ignition coil, is employed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the gas valve can be returned to off or closed position from full flow position when the flow of current to the electrically operated latch is shut ofi and the latch is in position to prevent actuation of the valve to full flow position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the ensuing description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a side View of the gas valve and parts associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the main burner and parts associated therewith;

Figure 3 is an end view of the gas valve showing the valve in closed position with the circuit open;

Figure 1 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the bi-pass open and the electric circuit closed;

Figure 5 is an end view showing the valve in full open position, with the pilot lit and the circuit open; and

Figure 6 is an end view of the latch arm.

Referring more particularly to the drawing i denotes the front plate or panel of a gas stove or range. For purposes of illustration the range is shown as having an oven burner 2, but it-will be understood that the present invention is equally adaptable for use with top or other burners for gas appliances.

A gas cock 3, suitably mounted upon a gas supply pipe or maniiold t. connects at is inner dis-= charge end with the air and gas mixing chamber 5, of the burner 2, through the medium of a conduit or pipe i6, and at its other end is provided with'an operating stem 6 which projects freely through an aperture 1 formed in the panel I. A latch member 8 secured on the stem 6 of valve 3 is formed with oppositely extending arms 9 and Ill, the'end of the arm 9 being provided with a beveled latch member H while the arm ill carries an electrical contact member l2. These members it and I2 are adapted to co-operate with a lei-metallic stop member or strip l3 and an electrical contact member Ml, the latter two of which members being carried by a bracket iii in turn suitably supported upon the valve 3. Electrical contact members it and it are suit ably insulated from the arm Ill and bracket it"; respectively.

Positioned adjacent certain of the gas ports 35, of the burner 2, is a pilot H which receives a reduced supply of gas from the valve 3 when the gas cook handle it is appropriately manipulated, in a manner presently described. Two

coils l9 and 2t positioned in proximity to the pilot ill and bi-metal strip I3 respectively, are provided, the former for igniting the pilot burner and the latter for heating the strip l3, when an auxiliary electric circuit is completed through the closing of a bi-metallic switch 3i. This switch 3T1 is in series with two parallel circuits including the two coils i9 and 20, contact points l2 and i i being employed to control the entire circuit.

The hollow valve casing M has an interior tapered bore 22 which rotatably receives a tapered valve plug 23, having therein a transverse full flow passageway 24, adapted for registry with an inlet bore or passageway 25, formed as a part of the housing and a communicating longitudinal passageway 26 which is at all times in communication with the outlet passageway El. The communicating passageways 24 and 26 of the valve plug just referred to are the main passageways and are utilized when either a full flow or a reduced flow of a fuel is desired at the main burner. The casing is also formed with an in wardly and upwardly extending lei-pass 28 leading from the casing inlet passageway 25 and opening into the casing bore 22 at a point inwardly spaced from the inlet passageway. An annular groove 29 formed in and extending almost completely around the plug is adapted to be brought into registry with the outlet end of the iii-pass 28 for supplying a small quantity of gas to the pilot ll. Thus the groove 29 is nice adapted to place the bi-pass in communication with a small transverse outlet opening or passage 30 extending through the casing wall in the same and 20 are cold and the bi-metal strip l3 assumes a position in the path of travel of the latch member H, carriedby the arm 3, thus making it impossible to open the gas valve 3 sufficiently to supply gas to the main burner. However, movement of the valve plug in a clockwise direction from off or Figure 3 position, through a small predetermined arc, to Figure 4 or bi-pass flow position is possible, before the latch member ll engages the bi-metallic stop member. In this latter position the inlet passage 2 in the plug is still out of communication with casing inlet passage 25, but bi-pass 28.as well as outlet port 30 is in communication with the passage 25 and permits a small flow of gas to the pilot. At the same time, the contacts I! and Il are closed by rotation of the valve and current flows to the ignition coil'l9 through wire 32 leading from one side of a battery 33 to and through closed contacts I2 and I4 and thence through wire 34 to one end of the ignition coil and finally to the other side of the battery through wire 36. Al-

though the ignition coil I! soon becomes hot and ignites the pilot H, the bi-metallic strip (3 remains in the path of movement of the beveled latch member II and blocks movement of the valve to full open position until av bi-metallic safety switch 3'! isclosed. v

The switch 31 comprises insulated lei-metallic strips 33' and 33 having electrical contacts 40 and 41 respectively. The switch 31 being in series with heater coil 23 but in parallel circuit with ignition coll l3. After the pilot light has been ignited by the coil IS, the former soon heats the strips 38 and 39 and causes the contacts 40 and ll to close. Current will then flow from the battery through wire 32 to contacts H and I2 and thence through wires 34 and 43, the latter leading to one end of heating coil 20. The current flows from the other end of coil 20 through a wire 43 to metallic strip 38 and thence through the switch 31 to and through wires H and 36 back to the battery 33. The coil 20 now heats 4 the bi-metallic strip 13 and causes the latter to move out of the path of rotation of the beveled latch member I I, thus permitting the rotation of the valve to open position, for supplying gas to the main burner which is ignited by the pilot burner. In moving the valve to open position, the valve contacts are separated, shutting off current to both coils and permitting the bimetallic strip |3 to cool off and resume its normal position in the path of movement of the wise direction to off or closed position, a full flow of fuel to the pilot 11, through the groove 23, is assured until the main burner is completely shut off.

When the invention is used with a gas range having a top burner pilot lighter the pilot I! couldbe ignited by means of a flash tube (not shown) so positioned as to light the pilot I! when its raw gas supply is conveyed through said tube to be ignited by the top burner pilot, whereby the ignition coil 13 could be eliminated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the kind described comprisingin combination with a 'main burner, a pilot adjacent the burner for lighting the same, a source of fuel supply, a rotary valve adapted to open and close passage of fuel from said source of supply to said main burner and pilot, a bimetallic latch for temporarily preventing further movement of the valve after the valve has been rotated to position to supply fuel to the pilot, an ignition circuit including an ignition coil, an auxiliary circuit including a heating coil and a bi-metallic switch in parallel with said ignition coil, said ignition coil adapted to light the pilot and the bi-metallic switch adapted to be heated, by the pilot to close the auxiliary circuit whereby the bi-metallic latch will be heated and moved to an inoperative position when themain circuit is closed, contact members associated with the valve for closing the ignition circuit upon movement of the valve to a position to supply fuel to the pilot, said contact members being opened to break the ignition circuit when the valve is moved to a position to permit of a full flow of fuel to said main burner whereby the heater coil circuit is broken and said bi-metallic latch will cool and return to operative valve latching position. i

2. An apparatus of the kind described comprising in combination with a main burner, a pilot adjacent the burner for lighting the same, a source of fuel supply, a rotary valve adapted to open and close passage of fuel from said source of supply to said main burner and pilot, a latch for temporarily preventing further movement of the valve after the valve has been rotated to position to supply fuel to the pilot, an ignition circuit including means for lighting the pilot when the ignition circuit is closed and said means is energized, an auxiliary circuit including means for actuating the latch and a switch in parallel with said pilot lighting means, said pilot lighting means adapted to light the pilot and said switch adapted to be affected by the pilot to close the auxiliary circuit whereby the latch actuating means will be energized to move the latch to an inoperative position when the main circuit is closed, contact members associated with the valve for closing the ignition circuit upon movement of the valve to a position to supply fuel to the pilot, said contact members being opened to break the ignition circuit when the valve is moved to a position to permit of a full flow of fuel to said main burner whereby the auxiliary circuit will be broken and said latch actuating means will become lie-energized and the latch will return to operative valve latching position.

3. An apparatus of the kind described com-- prising in combination with a main burner, a pilot adjacent the burner for lighting the same, a source of fuel supply, a rotary valve adapted to open and close passage of fuel from said source of supply to said main burner and pilot, a bimetallic latch for temporarily preventing further movement of the valve after the valve has been rotated to position to supply fuel to the pilot, an ignition circuit including means for lighting 7 is lit, and contact members associated with the valve for closing the ignition circuit upon movement of the valve to position to supply fuel to the pilot, said contact members being opened to break the ignition and auxiliary circuits when the valve is moved to position to permit of a full flow of fuel to said main burner whereby flow of current to the latch heating means will be closed and said bi-metallic latch will cool and return to operative valve latching position.

4. An ignition system of the kind described including in combination with a main burner, a source of fuel supply, a pilot burner for ignition of the main burner, a valve for controlling the flow of fuel to said pilot and main burner, means for operating said valve, a latch for temporarily preventing more than a predetermined movement of said valve so as to temporarily provide fuel to the pilot only, an electric ignition circuit including switch means operating in conjunction with said valve for opening and closing the circuit, said circuit also including ignition means for igniting the pilotand switch means for rendering inoperative the latch for temporarily preventing fuli operation of said valve after the pilot flame has been established.

5. An ignition system of the kind described including in combination with a main burner, a source of fuel supply, a pilot burner for ignition of the main burner, a valve for controlling the flow of gas to the pilot and main burner, means for operating the valve, locking latch means for temporarily preventing more than a predetermined movement of said valve so as to temporarily provide fuel to the pilot only, an electric ignition circuit including switch means operating in conjunction with said valve for o ening' and closing said circuit, said circuit also including switch means for rendering said locking latch means inoperative so that said valve can be operated to full open position after the pilot has been lit and means for igniting the pilot.

CASPER S. STUCKENHOLT. 

